Liberation Heritage Route

Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) identified the need to establish a Liberation Heritage Route within the province that highlights the key freedom fighters, who fought for justice and freedom from oppression, as well as the destinations that featured prominently during the liberation struggle. During the research process, MTPA identified six towns that were extensively involved in the anti-apartheid liberation struggle, which resulted in a peaceful transition to democracy in 1994. These towns include: Bethal, Daggakraal, Ermelo, Saul Mkhizeville (formerly Driefontein), Secunda and Volksrust. The aim of the Liberation Heritage Route is primarily to attract local and international tourists to the various liberation heritage destinations that are linked to South Africa's liberation history.

Furthermore, each destination needs to be further developed so as to provide various tourism products and services that will encourage tourists to visit the Liberation Heritage Route in its entirety and also encourage them to remain longer in each destination, so as to support the local community and encourage the growth of the tourism sector in the region. In some cases, such as Bethal, tourism products and services are already well established, whereas in other cases they still need to be established and developed further. The Liberation Heritage Route is also very informative for learners and students, and can be marketed as a history school or university tour.

However, these are not the only towns within the province that were home to various freedom fighters and involved in the grassroots liberation struggle. A number of towns have been identified that may be added to the route in the future. These include: Evander, Leandra and Standerton. Further research may identify more towns that could be added to the route.